Teacher arrested on suspicion of shooting dead boy, 11, earlier this month
Court extends remand of suspect in killing of Mohammed Abu Huwash from Bedouin city of Rahat; death came during clash between clans that began with traffic dispute
A local teacher was arrested on suspicion of shooting dead a boy, 11, earlier this month, in the southern Bedouin city of Rahat.
Though the suspect was arrested last week shortly after Mohammed Abu Huwash was killed, details of the case were under a gag order that was only lifted Sunday when the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court extended the suspect’s remand by eight days.
Ynet named the suspect as Tisir Amdin, 31, a resident of Rahat. He denies involvement in the killing and claims Huwash was hit by gunfire from his own family.
Amdin is suspected of carrying out the April 15 killing along with another man, according to Hebrew media reports. It was not clear if the second suspect has been apprehended.
A police representative at the remand hearing declared, “There is no chance [Amdin] is innocent,” Ynet reported.
Amdin has reserved the right to remain silent during his investigation, according to the report.
Violence escalated in Rahat between two neighboring clans after a traffic accident that damaged a vehicle a day before the deadly shooting. Later that day, gunfire between the clans began and police arrested two suspects. However, after the officers left, the shooting continued for hours and into the next day, culminating in the death of Huwash.
Reports said that in addition to Huwash, a 17-year-old was moderately injured in the gunfire and hospitalized for treatment.
According to the anti-violence campaign group, The Abraham Initiatives, 57 members of the Arab community have been killed in violent incidents since the start of the year. The watchdog says 53 of them were killed by gunfire.
